3 Thursday w/analysis

All plays are 2 units
HOME TEAM IN CAPS

MINNESOTA -½ +143 over San Jose
Regulation only. After an ugly four-game losing streak which included a 2-1 home loss to the Sabres, the Sharks have responded nicely with back-to-back wins on the road over Anaheim and Colorado. The Sharkies are among the league leaders in shots on net per game and they’re scoring goals but those numbers are a little bit skewed. Since winning their first two games of the season by a combined score of 7-0, the Sharkies have been outscored 30-28 since with seven of nine games over that span coming against Eastern teams. Against those Eastern teams, the Sharks went 2-5. San Jose also concludes its modest three-game trip here after playing in the high altitude of Colorado in its last game and that could also be a factor. You see, the Sharks recently concluded a five-game trip that started on Oct 14 and ended on Oct 21, making this their eighth road game in their past 10 contests over 16 days. That’s a lot of travel early in the year and after that OT win in Colorado, San Jose could be running on fumes here.

The Wild blew a game a big lead against the Rangers on Monday but responded right back with a 3-goal rally in the third on Tuesday to beat the Bruins in Boston 4-3. Minnesota outshot Boston 42-28 and they outshot the New York Strangers 30-20. Eight games in and the Wild have not been outshot in any game this season. At home, Minnesota is 3-0 while outscoring the opposition 17-2. Over their last three games, the Wild have scored 15 times with at least four goals in all of them. What’s even more impressive is that Minnesota has put up all these gaudy numbers without the benefit of a power-play goal this season. That’s right, Minnesota is 0-26 on the PP but they have averaged more shots on net during their PP than any team in the NHL. Sooner rather than later, those pucks will start going in too. Yeah, we’re gonna ride this team until the market starts pricing them in the range they deserve to be in.

Winnipeg +129 over NEW JERSEY
OT included. We’re not sure that folks realize just how good these Jets are playing. Winnipeg is 4-5 and they lost four straight at one point but deserving it was not. The Jets have outshot their last six opponents. They are fourth in the NHL in shots allowed per game (26) behind Minnesota, St. Louis and Washington. In Winnipeg’s 4-2 loss to the Lightning, they dominated that game from start to finish, outshooting Tampa 42-27 but they ran into a super-hot Ben Bishop. Of the Jets’ five losses, only once did they spend more time in their end than in the opposition’s end. There’s a good chance that Winnipeg gets two key bodies back tonight in Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian and if one or both of those guys return, it’ll be added gravy to their appeal. Performing well all season but without the record to show for it, Winnipeg is a well-balanced team with an outstanding group of blue-liners and they are well worth a play here coming off back-to-back wins.

That laughing you hear in the distance is from none other than Martin Brodeur, whom the Devils had no interest in allowing him to cost them games anymore. They released him in favor Cory Schneider and there has not been a goaltender in the league that has been shakier than Schneider. Schneider’s save percentage is .901 and that ranks him near the bottom of the league among goaltenders with at least four starts. His GAA is 3.15, which ranks him below Jonas Enroth of the Sabres and once again near the bottom of the league. The Devils have allowed 27 goals against over their past six games and it’s been mostly the undoing of Schneider. Those soft goals take the steam out of the rest of the team. Schneider is playing scared hockey and is the confirmed starter for tonight. The Devils have yet to win at home and if the Jets should happen to score another early goal, things could go south real fast on the Devils. It’s also worth noting that the Jets defeated New Jersey both games last season while outscoring them 6-1, suggesting that the Devils have trouble with this team. This year, the Jets are so much better than last year. Definite value in this very live pup.

ST. LOUIS -½ +140 over Anaheim
Regulation only. The Ducks are 8-2 but we’re not buying it. Anaheim has received outstanding goaltending and that has been the main reason for their hot start. Anaheim has been outshot 75-59 over its last two games. They rank in or about the middle in every analytic category, which includes shots for per game, shots against per game, time in opposition’s end, goals for and against on five on five play, etc. Don’t get us wrong, the Ducks are a very decent club and most certainly a top-10 team but they are not as good as their record suggests and while goaltending is part of the team that makes them good, the Ducks are in very tough here against the superior Blues in St. Louis.

You’ve all heard of Malkin and Crosby, Seguin and Benn and Toews and Kane but there’s a new deadly duo on the horizon that play for the Blue Notes named Tarasenko and Lehtera. These two guys are wickedly talented that can skate, shoot, create and score. That duo is heating up and gives the Blue Notes an added dimension of power. The Blues got off to a slow 2-4 start and because of that, they are still a little bit under the radar. However, they were dealing with an early season flu bug that zapped their energy for a couple of games and they were also unlucky in a couple of losses. When the Blues went into Los Angeles and lost 1-0, they out-shot the Kings 43-18 and held a 3½-1 edge in time of possession in the offensive end. That has happened to them not once or twice but in three of their four losses. St. Louis ranks second in shots on net allowed per game. They rank 4th in shots on net per game and they rank 3rd in time of possession in the offensive end. When the Blue Notes lost in Anaheim on October 19, they held the Ducks to 25 shots on net. Coming off back-to-back wins against the Blackhawks and Stars and beginning to roll again, St. Louis now gets to flex its muscle at against this overvalued guest.
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S/wood...........good luck tonight..........indy